- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
There’s something seriously wrong in Redfern, and I’m not just talking about the ibis infestation in the palm trees along Chalmers Street. On the back of another crushing defeat, this time at the hands of an undermanned Parramatta side, the South Sydney Rabbitohs are officially a club in crisis.
The Bunnies have now recorded a mere five victories from 14 games thus far this season, which has them poised to miss the finals for the first time since 2011. And while the frequency of defeat must be alarming South Sydney fans, it’s the way the team is losing which has seen cardinal and myrtle bonfires blazing from Mascot to Maroubra.
Much like the hollow feeling one gets when forced to sit through an episode of Offspring, the players seem totally disinterested and unengaged. The passion and hunger for success which carried them to premiership glory in 2014 has vanished. Without sufficient motivation, there has been a noticeable decline in concentration and attention to detail, manifesting itself as fundamental handling errors and missed tackles.
Sadly for the Bunnies, these problems aren’t isolated to one or two players, but have spread through the entire playing group like a bad case of conjunctivitis. Hardest hit are the Burgess twins, who have both regressed rapidly in 2016.
Their previous ability to break the defensive line with raw aggression and savage power has been replaced by a tentative trot into the nearest defender. It’s almost as though the boys developed an allergy to contact over the summer. More troubling still is their inability to hang on to the ball. Judging by their lack of fine motor skills, the twins are more focused these days on how well they hold their pints on a Friday evening.
Another Rabbitoh who has been under the microscope more frequently than a Gram stain is captain Greg Inglis. The barrel-chested skipper has been playing like a busted arse this year, leaving the Bunnies unsure how best to capitalise on Greg’s declining skill set. Inglis is too injured to play fullback, too passive to play 5/8th and too expensive to languish in the centres. Short of the Rabbitohs giving their jerseys a heavy maroon tint, it might be time for Inglis to spend his golden years back ‘home’ in Brisbane.
Now it’s all too easy (and fun) for keyboard warriors such as myself to sit back and point the finger at individuals within the South Sydney squad and blame them for the team’s disappointing start to the season. But when any collection of talented players functions this poorly as team, questions need to be asked of the man responsible for coaching that team. That man is Michael Maguire.
Let me start by saying that I believe that Madge is an excellent coach. His heavily structured style of play and rabid intensity is a formula with a proven track record of success. Craig Bellamy has been doing it for years. But the difference between Melbourne and South Sydney is that the Storm players buy whatever Bellamy is selling, and do so without question. They trust that their coach knows what he’s doing, regardless of how medieval his methods may seem at the time.
The Rabbitohs had that culture, albeit briefly. During their magical 2014 campaign, every player on that roster would have run through brick walls or switched to almond milk if Maguire had asked them to. But once they achieved their goal and won the Telstra Premiership, the culture changed. While Madge still had the blistering intensity of a man who uses habanero flavoured lip balm, the players no longer responded to his superliminal style of messaging.
Much like an insolent teenager rebelling against an overbearing father, the playing group had outgrown threats to get out the wooden spoon. Running up those towering sand hills in the stifling February heat now seemed unnecessary, and the mind-numbing repetition of set plays during training seemed redundant. Put simply, the players were no longer willing to do the little things their coach was asking.
This change in mentality has been reflected in their performance on the field. In the 18 months following their Premiership victory, the Rabbitohs have gone backwards in almost every attacking and defensive statistical category. But really, all you have to do is watch them play. Sitting through a Souths game these days is more painful than your daughter telling you that she has become a Belieber.
So what’s the solution? For me, it is a relatively simple one. Maguire has to go. His penchant for relying on a hulking forward pack to dominate the middle of the field and open up opportunities for the outside backs is not working. The rigid structures he demands mean his players are unable to adapt when circumstances change.
The result has been a one-dimensional brand of rugby league staler than a loaf of gluten free rye.
The good news for South Sydney is that the cupboard is far from bare, both financially and talent-wise. The privately owned club remains in a very healthy commercial position, backed by the rich and famous and with access to third party dollars at the top end of town. Shane Richardson brings football smarts and stability to the boardroom, club membership is among the highest in the league, and their training facilities are first class.
From a player perspective, the roster boasts the current NSW halfback entering the prime of his career, an inspirational forward leader in Sam Burgess, and future representative fullback Alex Johnston. The Burgess twins are still only 24 years old and can be salvaged, Luke Keary and Cody Walker are both serviceable foils for Reynolds, and Greg Inglis has proven through representative fixtures this year that he can still dominate when motivated.
The question is, who should replace Maguire? If I were Shane Richardson, I would be straight on the phone to Stephen Kearney. The imperturbable Kiwi mentor had his coaching reputation tarnished by a torturous tenure at Parramatta, and has not been given another sniff since. However in hindsight, even a coaching lovechild of Jack Gibson and Wayne Bennett wouldn’t have been able to scratch together more than a handful of wins amid the Blue and Gold circus.
Kearney’s pedigree puts Black Caviar to shame. He has served as assistant coach under both Wayne Bennett and Craig Bellamy, and has been at the helm of the New Zealand nation side since 2008, leading them to victory over Australia in both the World Cup and Four Nations. As a player, Kearney has captained his club and country, won a grand final, and was the first Kiwi to play 250 first grade games in Australia. Players often find it much easier to respect a coach who has walked the walk as Kearney has.
But the most attractive attribute Kearney brings to the table is his temperament. His even-keeled approach will be a welcome contrast to the volcanic Maguire. The Souths players have shown in recent months that they no longer respond to Madge’s Mussolini methods, so having a coach with an inclusive management style may be the a more sensible approach.
So despite their season going the way of Pauline Hanson’s political career, things aren’t as bad as they seem in Redfern. Rather than an extreme makeover, the Rabbitohs just need a cut and colour to remove a few of the grey hares. Michael Maguire will always hold a special place in the hearts of the South Sydney faithful, but both parties are in desperate need of a fresh start.